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Powerball Calculator
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Introduction
This tool effectively calculates your chances of winning in the Powerball lottery or similar lotteries, utilizing a consistent method of selecting five regular balls along with one additional ball.
The preset figures represent the guaranteed payouts for all prize levels, excluding the jackpot. The jackpot figure provided is an approximate current value.
The return column indicates the ratio of potential winnings against the amount you wager. The total return displayed in the bottom right corner reflects the projected overall return, not accounting for taxes or shared jackpot winnings.
Rules
The following guidelines are drawn from the latest rules update which occurred in January 2014.
- The cost of a Powerball ticket is $2.
- Participants select 5 White Balls numbered from 1 to 69, along with one Powerball from a selection of 1 to 26.
- Twice each week, the lottery will draw the same quantity of balls from the identical ranges.
- The default payout table is presented with the baseline values in the calculator shown below.
- The jackpot starts at a minimum of $40 million and increases by a certain percentage of ticket sales each time there is no jackpot winner.
- For an additional dollar, players have the option to add a Power Play to their ticket.
- When Power Play is activated, any winnings will be multiplied by a random factor, excluding the top two prize tiers. Notably, the jackpot remains unaffected, and the multiplier for matching all five White Balls (not Powerball) consistently stands at 2.
- To establish the Power Play multiplier, one ball is drawn from a total of 42 or 43, featuring the following multipliers: 24 balls at 2x, 13 balls at 3x, 3 balls at 4x, and 2 balls at 5x. Additionally, there is one 10x ball included if the jackpot is under $150 million, producing an average multiplier of 2.595 without the 10x ball and 2.767 with it.
- California has unique regulations where fixed prizes also escalate, and there is no option for Power Play.
Calculator
The default figures reflect the winnings as per the latest rules update on October 7, 2015. These winnings are calculated prior to the application of any Power Play multiplier.
Disclaimer : The return column figures do not take into account taxes, the time value of annuity payments, or shared jackpot amounts, all of which can significantly reduce the overall value. I've observed that there is an exponential relationship between jackpot size and ticket sales. Given the excitement and massive ticket sales that typically follow substantial jackpots, I find that Powerball usually offers poor value. Analyzing the guideline changes from October 7, 2015, it seems that the most strategic time to play is when the jackpot reaches $557 million, yet even then, the anticipated return is only 81.3% when all factors are considered.
Buy Lottery Tickets Online
| Name | Jackpot | Buy Tickets | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
SuperEnalotto | € 67,600,000 | Tickets |
|
Eurojackpot | € 30,000,000 | Tickets |
|
Euro Millions | € 17,000,000 | Tickets |
|
La Primitiva | € 14,200,000 | Tickets |
|
Lotto | £ 11,400,000 | Tickets |
|
El Gordo | € 10,300,000 | Tickets |
|
Lotto | € 6,000,000 | Tickets |
|
Lotto 6/49 | CA$ 9,000,000 | Tickets |
|
Oz Lotto | AU$ 10,000,000 | Tickets |
|
Lotto 6aus49 | € 4,000,000 | Tickets |
|
Powerball | NZ$ 7,000,000 | Tickets |
|
Powerball | AU$ 6,000,000 | Tickets |
|
FDJ Loto | € 3,000,000 | Tickets |
|
Saturday Lotto | AU$ 4,000,000 | Tickets |
|
Ontario 49 | CA$ 2,000,000 | Tickets |
|
Daily Million 2PM | € 1,000,000 | Tickets |
|
Daily Million 9PM | € 1,000,000 | Tickets |
|
Powerball | R 19,500,000 | Tickets |
|
Thunderball | £ 500,000 | Tickets |
|
Monday & Wednesday Lotto | AU$ 1,000,000 | Tickets |
|
Megabucks | $ 5,700,000 | Tickets |
|
Lotto Texas | $ 6,250,000 | Tickets |
|
Fantasy 5 | $ 75,000 | Tickets |
|
Powerball | $ 307,000,000 | Tickets |
|
Jersey Cash 5 | $ 75,000 | Tickets |
|
Hot Lotto | $ 9,100,000 | Tickets |
|
Two Step | $ 575,000 | Tickets |
|
SuperLotto Plus | $ 62,000,000 | Tickets |
|
Hoosier Lotto | $ 20,000,000 | Tickets |
|
Lotto | $ 4,500,000 | Tickets |
|
Pick 6 | $ 11,900,000 | Tickets |
|
Lotto | $ 4,400,000 | Tickets |
|
Mega Millions | $ 346,000,000 | Tickets |
Lotteries
Games
Related Reading
- Lottery — General page.
- Buy Lotto Online in 2025
- Are Lottery Players Smart? - Are US states that provide better lottery returns generally experiencing higher losses per resident compared to states with less favorable lottery returns?
- COVID and the Lottery
- The Lottery Experience - An In-Depth Analysis of Lotteries
- The Lottery (Still) Sucks!
- Previous inquiries related to the lottery answered by the Wizard
- Power Ball at 400 Million — A discussion regarding Powerball can be found on the Wizard of Vegas forum.
Calculators
- Powerball calculator — Assess odds for Powerball or any lottery featuring five 'white balls' and one 'Power Ball.'
- Mega Millions calculator — Assess odds for Mega Millions or any lottery with five 'white balls' and one 'Mega Ball.'
- Pick Six calculator — Determine odds for any game involving a 'pick six' scenario.
- SuperLotto Plus — California Lottery game.
- Calculator for Estimating Lottery Jackpot Ticket Sales — Estimate potential ticket sales and the probability of winning in larger jackpots for both Powerball and MegaMillions.